Full Breakdown
Global Healthy-Diet Affordability Crisis Deepens, UN Report Finds
7/21/2026, 10:43:48 PM
Core Findings of the 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition Report
- 2.69 billion people (32.7 % of the world’s population) cannot afford a diet that meets both energy and nutrient needs.
- The cost of such a diet is $4.28 PPP per day in 2025, up from $3.44 in 2021 and $2.94 in 2017.
- Global hunger prevalence fell to 7.8 % in 2025, down from 8.1 % in 2024, but 645 million people remain undernourished.
Regional Disparities
- Africa: 1.03 billion people (? 66 % of the continent’s population) cannot afford a healthy diet; 309 million are undernourished.
- Asia: 1.4 billion people (? 29 % of its population) lack affordability.
- Latin America & Caribbean: 172 million people (26 %).
- Europe & North America: 77.5 million people (7 %).
- Oceania: 2.3 million people (5 %).
- In Europe, the price of a healthy diet rose 36 % from 2021 to 2025, reaching $3.97 per day.
Official Statements & Responses
- Torero also highlighted that adult obesity worldwide rose from 12.1 % in 2012 to 16.2 % in 2024, linking poor diet diversity to rising disease burdens.
- He described the effect as “indirect taxation” from subsidies that favor starchy crops and animal feed.
Criticism & Opposition
- Analysts cited in the Politico coverage argue that the EU’s hectare-based subsidies create a “legacy effect” that discourages vegetable production, inflating consumer prices for fruits, vegetables and legumes.
- The same source notes a lack of research investment to reduce labor costs for vegetable farming, limiting supply-side improvements.
Data & Statistics
- Global cost of a healthy diet (PPP): $4.28 per day (2025).
- EU price increase for a healthy meal: $1 rise since 2021, now $3.97 per day.
- Regional unaffordability rates: Africa 66 %, Asia 29 %, Latin America & Caribbean 26 %, Europe & North America 7 %, Oceania 5 %.
- Catastrophic hunger: 1.4 million people worldwide, with Gaza (? 640,700) and Sudan (? 637,200) most affected.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- The source of the 6 % figure is not clarified, suggesting a possible regional or methodological discrepancy.
- No detailed breakdown is provided for the share of the 2.69 billion unaffordable diets by income quintile, leaving a gap in understanding the poorest households’ specific challenges.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Europe has designed its farm subsidies for historical reasons that were very different [from] delivering a large amount of fruit and vegetables for its population,” — Laborde. The European Commission
What’s Next
- The European Union is preparing its next Common Agricultural Policy framework for 2028-2034, a legislative process that will shape future subsidy allocations and could address the “legacy effect” on fruit and vegetable production, according to Laborde.
